Watch Her Fly
by earthprincess4
Summary: Edward is an egotistical, womanizing man with a dark past who runs a parasailing business with Em & Jas in Hawaii. Bella a hard working, shy, college student is visiting her cousin, Alice for the summer. Edward is volunteered to show her a good time.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The second of two brand new multi-chapter fics I'm working on. This story came to me a long time ago and is somewhat based on the songs "Cool Thing" and "Holdin' On" by Rascal Flatts. My wonderful husband co-created this story with me and is very happy I'm finally writing it. He won't be writing anything since he doesn't write, but he will be reading it and helping me as we go along. Isn't he sweet? =D ****With that said if anything goes wrong in the story it's his fault lol...j/k. **

**Like the other multi-chapter stories I'm working on, I'm hoping to update this story twice a month, but please don't hold me to that since things come up in my RL all the time.**

**Thanks sister_liz for being a wonderful beta and friend who I can always count on. And thank you to Christag_banner for another wonderful banner for this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

I woke up after a drunken night of sex with some tourist chick I barely knew. I needed to get out before she woke up and expected some sort of cuddling or future dating. None of that was my thing. All these tourists were exactly the same. They were easy and never came after me for more once they got the hint I wasn't coming back. Besides, after a few days they always left anyway and just looked at me as a summer fling.

Living in one of the most popular tourists spots in America definitely has its perks. My best friend from college, Emmett, moved to Hawaii right after college graduation. He had a cousin who lived here and he wanted to start up this parasailing business. He wanted Emmett, the business major, to help him. A few years after Emmett moved here, I literally showed up on their doorstep and, I became a business partner in a sense.

We really weren't as successful as we thought we were going to be, but we got by with what we made. We all lived together in a decent house, which was right on the water and close to the dock. You would think living with the two guys I worked with on a daily basis we would end up hating each other, but we really never fought or got on each other's nerves. Maybe it was because outside of work none of us were really ever home much.

Jasper has had this girlfriend since, I don't know, birth. They have grown up together and always knew they would end up together. Emmett and I questioned why he hadn't asked her to marry him yet. I guess he was a chicken.

Emmett on the other hand was still trying to get into the pants of Alice's best friend and roommate, Rosalie. Rose was beautiful and she knew it. She had all the cards in her hand. She was a fucking flirt and had Emmett eating out of the palm of her hand. He would do absolutely anything for her and it made me sick to watch them.

I refused to be tied down to anyone. I didn't date, I didn't form attachments to girls, and I never slept with a local. I strictly went after tourists just to get laid, and then I left. I never brought any of them back to my house, I never introduced any of them to my friends, and most of them knew very little about me at all. It's how I liked it. I didn't want a girlfriend. I didn't need one girl to make me happy. I was happy with the way I ran my life even if my friends weren't so keen on my choices. Alice became the most vocal with her opinions of my life, which irritated me to no end. For some reason she thought it was her duty to fix me. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything that was going to fix me or make me change. I didn't need to change.

After leaving the hotel room of whatever girl it was I had just spent the night with, I headed for the dock like I did every morning. I hopped on the boat and quickly did a check to make sure everything was in proper working order. The last thing we needed was some tourist suing us for improper equipment.

"Hey, Edward," Emmett greeted as he hopped on the boat. "So, who was the lucky girl last night?"

"I don't fucking know. I usually don't ask for their names," I answered.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You know, one of these days you're going to end up with some sick disease and they're going to have to cut your balls off," he warned.

All I could do was laugh. No disease I knew of would require me to lose my balls. "I use protection, Dude. I have nothing to worry about."

"Condoms don't protect you from everything."

"Will you stop sounding like Alice? God, it's bad enough coming from her, I don't need it from you too. It's my life and I'll do what I want."

"Aren't you at all worried about sleeping with the wrong girl one of these days?" he asked.

"Nope," I answered, jumping back up on the deck and walking towards the house, which was just down the beach. I was so sick of hearing the same bullshit from all of them. These were supposed to be my friends and they needed to back off. I never interfered in their choices. Why did they feel the need to interfere with mine?

I walked down the beach and slipped through the sliding glass door and walked straight to the kitchen. There was only one thing on my mind at the moment; to get rid of the major hangover I had and to calm my nerves. Emmett's lecture on the dock did not help. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and sucked down about half of it in one gulp.

Moments later I heard playful giggles coming from my nemesis, Alice. I watched as her and Jasper walked out of his room and towards the kitchen with fucking smiles on their faces. Jasper was only wearing a pair of boxers while Alice wore a flimsy t-shirt of Jaspers, which hung to her knees. They made me sick.

"You're drinking this early in the morning?" Alice asked.

"Yep, I am." I tipped the bottle back taking another large gulp.

"Where were you last night?" she questioned rudely.

"What are you, my mother?"

"Sometimes I think you need a mother. You need someone to tell you you're fucking your life up by doing the crazy shit you do."

"Alice, don't start," Jasper warned.

"Well, thankfully for me I don't have a mother who cares, and I definitely don't need you caring," I shot back. I sucked down the rest of the beer and walked to my room to change my clothes and brush my teeth. I slipped out the sliding glass door in my bedroom and went back outside. I sat on the beach for a little while until Jasper came out.

"I know you don't like it, but she means well," he defended Alice's comments.

"Whatever, Man. I don't care what she says. I never have and never will," I said letting it go.

"We should get going. We have a large party coming in today and we need to make sure we have everything ready," Jasper informed. I hopped up and headed down the beach with him. Out of everyone, I think Jasper was the only one who wasn't judgmental of my life. Emmett tried not to be, but being the only one who knew me before I moved here, he had concerns about who I'd become. I was different now, but there was nothing wrong with different. People change. Life changes. And my life changed in a pretty drastic way, years ago, which I never wanted to go back to, and I did everything I could to not think about it.

"What's the agenda today?" I asked as Jasper and I walked the beach.

"First thing this morning we have a party of twelve going out. All college girls visiting for the summer," he informed wagging his eyebrows at me. Even though he was totally committed to Alice, he never seemed to have a problem with looking as long as he didn't touch. A small smirk spread across my lips with the thought of some pretty girls who I'm sure would be looking for a hookup. "We should be busy with them for most of the day and it'll be a nice payout. They all want to go up."

"Good, we need the money. I've noticed one of the rudders on the boat is starting to pull to one side. We'll need to get that fixed soon."

"Yeah, we will. The boat could use a good scrub-down and maybe even a new paint job. And a few of the life jackets are getting a little warn out. We should replace them."

"Hold up, we aren't getting that much extra. One thing at a time. We can't afford all these changes. If we do a paint job we'll be out of work for at least a week. We can't afford that right now."

"I'm aware of that, Edward. I wasn't saying we do it all at the same time. I'm just saying these are all things we need to do eventually. We'll need to talk it over with Emmett and see what we can do for now."

"Alright, we can discuss it tonight after we get back from this job," I suggested.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. Alice's cousin is coming to visit for a few weeks during her summer break and I sort of promised Alice we would take them out on the boat and give her a parasailing lesson," Jasper explained.

"You didn't?" I retorted. "And let me guess, this is free of charge?"

"Sorry, Man. It's Alice's cousin. She lives in Ohio and never gets out. This is literally her first trip away from home and her first plane ride. Alice wants this vacation to be special for her."

"Well, I guess this big job we have today is down the drain for this free trip you promised," I complained.

"It's not a big deal. We'll just go out, throw her up in the harness and come right back. We don't need to give her the whole tour we do for paying customers. We'll figure it out," he assured.

"Where've you two been?" Emmett asked as we reached the boat.

"Dealing with the shrew," I answered.

"Hey!" Jasper warned angrily. I chuckled and jumped onto the boat. Emmett covered up his laugh from Jasper, but I saw it.

"This party should be showing up any moment now. Are we ready to go?" Jasper asked attempting to let my rude description of his girlfriend go.

"Everything checked out," Emmett informed. "I'm not sure we have enough life jackets onboard for such a large party, but we'll have to make do."

"Let me run up and ask Phil if he has any extra life jackets we can borrow for the day. I'm sure he'll help us out." I took off up the dock just as I saw the party of girls come walking down the deck all giggly and wrapped in nothing but their bikinis. This was going to be a very good trip.

"Hey, Phil," I called out to the old fisherman who we had all known for years. He peaked out of his boat looking all scruffy and drunk. He looked quite similar to how I did on most days.

"What can I do for you, Edward?" he asked cheerfully, despite how he looked.

"Do you have a couple extra life jackets we can borrow? We have a fairly large group of women going up today and we don't have enough."

"Not a problem. Take as many as you need. I'm not going out today so I won't need them. Just make sure I get them back at the end of the day."

"I will. Thanks, Phil."

I gathered up all the lifejackets I could find and walked back to our boat where the girls were already gathered. I stepped through their group intentionally and threw the life jackets on board. This was always the best part of the job. Women loved it when you showed off and looked like you knew what you were doing.

"This is Edward. He'll be harnessing each of you to the sail and getting you all strapped in before you go up," Jasper explained. I smiled and tipped my head towards them. Not a single girl didn't smile and give me the look. The look of "I'd tap that". I was sure each and every one of them would be slipping me their number before the boat ride was over. This is why I never wanted to be tied down to one girl like Jasper, and even Emmett, who technically wasn't, but was. They were missing out. As Jasper continued to go over safety rules and guidelines I continued to prepare the sails and get the boat all prepped for the girls to board. I took my shirt off halfway through the lecture causing a few of the girls to noticeably sigh.

Emmett rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're fucking pathetic, you know?" he whispered covertly so no one would hear.

"What? It's hot out," I defended with a smirk on my face.

"Sure it is."

"Alright, Ladies, if you're all ready we can get going. Jasper held out his hand as each girl slowly and nervously stepped into the boat. I showed them to their seat and handed them each a life jacket, while Emmett took their safety and insurance paperwork as well as their money.

"Will the boat be going fast? I like going fast," one girl said as flirtatious as possible.

"We will if you want us to," Jasper flirted back with his famous little dimpled smile the girls went crazy for. Yeah, and I was the pathetic one.

The girls giggled as Jasper started up the engine and warned them to hold on tightly. Emmett and I shared a look of utter embarrassment for him. We couldn't even go fast until we were out of the dock area. He was just getting them all excited for nothing.

Once we were past the slow section of the ocean Jasper sped up and took off across the water. The girls were definitely not expecting the bumpy ride. They were all squealing and holding on to each other tightly.

We came up to some of the tourist stops and slowed down, pointing out the coral reefs and the caves along the banks. There was even a pod of dolphins in the distance we pointed out to them. After a while, we slowed and started going over the final guidelines while they were up in the air. They paired up and decided who would go first.

I pulled the first pair to the side and got them fitted for the harness and tightened up their lifejackets.

"You're name is Edward?" one of the girls asked.

I smiled up at a beautiful blonde and nodded my head.

"Do you have a girlfriend or a wife?" she asked.

"No."

"Good. I'd like to invite you to a party we're having at our hotel suite tonight. Your friends are welcome to come too."

"Well, for them I don't think it would be possible since they both are tied down."

"Too bad," she sympathized. "But you'll come, won't you?"

"I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can swing by for a little while," I vaguely promised.

Her smile was full of enthusiasm and interest. Girls were so easy. She gave me the name of the hotel they were staying and the number of their room. I nodded my head and assured her I knew where it was.

I snapped the girls in and motioned for Jasper to let him know they were ready. Moments later they were up in the sky screaming and shaking their legs in fear. It was actually quite humorous. Doing this job you really had to learn to hold back from laughing at most of the people. It really wasn't anything to fear. Parasailing was probably one of the easiest and least stressful ways to go up in the air. But it wasn't uncommon for people to get scared when they first went up.

After each of the groups went up and we gave them a little more of a tour around the island we headed back inland. As we docked we were given a fairly large tip for our services. These were definitely girls who had money to spare; either that or they had parents who handed over credit cards for their own personal use. Either way, they made the trip today very worthwhile.

After helping each and every one of them back up on the dock we all stood there and watched in admiration as they walked up the dock and out of site.

"Damn!" Emmett expressed. "Remind me again why I've been wasting my time with Rose, who doesn't give me the time of day, while those girls right there would give it up so easily?"

"Sucks to be you," I teased. "I was invited to a party they're having in their hotel room tonight. I'll be having some fun while you get blue-balled by Rose yet again."

I gathered up the lifejackets I borrowed from Phil earlier and stepped out of the boat with a satisfied smile on my face.

"Come on, Man. Let me go with you tonight. I've got to get laid. This little game Rose is playing is killing me," Emmett begged.

"You don't need to beg. You can both come if you want," I pointed out giving Jasper a questioning look.

"No, you both go. I'll be staying home."

"Well, I'm definitely in," Emmett assured.

"Definitely in for what?" Rose asked, walking up behind us with her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, Babe. It's just talk." She glared at him, unconvinced of his answer.

I laughed and patted him on the back. "Good luck with that," I teased. I walked past them and headed up towards Phil's boat. He was lying out on the deck taking a nap when I walked over. I tried to not wake him when I put the lifejackets back, but he stirred and sat up when I boarded his boat.

"Back already?" he asked causing me to chuckle.

"Phil, it's almost four in the afternoon," I pointed out.

"It is? Damn, I slept through the whole day," he complained.

I chuckled lightly as I put the lifejackets back in their spot.

"Well, what are you boys up to now? Anything fun going on tonight?" Phil asked.

"Unfortunately, we have to go out one more time," I rolled my eyes as I mentioned it. "Jasper promised his fucking girlfriend we'd take her cousin up today."

"Oh go easy on the boy. He's a man in love who needs to please his woman. If you had a woman you'd do that same thing."

"I won't ever have a woman so I've got nothing to worry about."

"You know I used to think the same thing. I didn't need anyone. I didn't need love or affection. I didn't need someone to come home to every night. All I needed was a good fifth of Jack and an easy lay. Now look at me? I'm more pathetic now than I was then. I can only get laid if I pay the girl. I'm old and a drunk, and all I got is this boat. Don't let love pass you by when it's staring you straight in the face," he ordered.

"How much have you had to drink today?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a curved up lip.

"Too much, I'm sure. But I'm serious, Edward. Jasper is doing it right. He'll be the one who ends up happy while we'll be wishing we had what he has. Just remember that."

"I'll keep that in mind," I promised with an unenthused laugh. "I'll see you around, Phil. And thanks for letting us use the lifejackets."

I hopped back up on the dock and walked towards our boat where Alice and this cousin of hers were already getting in the boat.

I hopped in just as Jasper was starting it up again.

"There's Edward," Alice said pointing me out to her cousin. I made a face behind her back towards Emmett who just smirked at me.

"Edward, I want to introduce you to my cousin," Alice called. I turned around to suck it up and was stunned into submission when my eyes fell upon her. I'd never been more blown away by a female. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Edward, this is Bella, my cousin from Ohio. Bella, this is the idiot I was telling you about," Alice rudely introduced.

Bella giggled bashfully and ducked her head. "Hi. It's nice to finally meet you," she said in the softest, sweetest voice I'd ever heard.

"Yeah, you too," I said in return trying not to look like a fool in front of her.

I turned back towards Jasper who was watching me with his famous grin. I glanced towards Emmett who pretty much had the same look.

"Are we going or what?" I asked.

"Yeah," Jasper answered turning back to steer the boat.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at the looks I was getting from all of them, as we all took our seats on the boat and headed out on the water. This was going to be a long fucking night.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well I'm not sure what everyone is thinking about this story after only one chapter but here's the second. I had a long conversation with my beta about what's coming up and she seemed to like it so I hope everyone else does too. **

**Please go nominate some stories for the Emerging Swan Awards. We have a few nominations for one-shots and short stories but we're hoping for a few more.**

**Thanks sister_liz for beta'ing and letting me spoil the story for you to get some advice. I should probably thank my husband for developing this story with me and approving of Edward.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters involved.**

Watching Alice and Rose whisper back and forth with Bella was irritating. I just knew they were filling Bella's head full of lies about me. It's what they were both good at. Any chance Alice had to make me look bad was the highlight of her life. Why did I care what they told this girl anyway? It's Alice's cousin for God's sake. I'm not interested in anyone connected to Alice. She's probably the same as Alice anyway; whiny, nosey, bossy, and a pain in the ass. She's not even worthy of a quick fuck. I have a whole hotel suite of girls ready and waiting later tonight. I don't need to go after someone I might actually be forced to see again at some point in my life. If circumstances were different, and she was just another random tourist, I'd totally fuck her. But if she's related to Alice, forget it.

I attempted to ignore the girls by looking out along the horizon and watching a school of dolphins in the distance. If this were a paying excursion I would have pointed out the dolphins, but since this was a favor to someone I typically couldn't stand, then forget it. If they aren't paying attention it's their loss.

Jasper came to a slow crawl across the water before coming to a complete stop. I hopped up and dropped the anchor while we set up for the launch. My job was always strapping the passengers in and this was no different.

I motioned for Bella to come towards me. She stood and hesitantly took a couple steps towards the back of the boat, nervously looking over at Alice.

"I'm not going to bite you. There's nothing to be afraid of," I said, irritated by how long it was taking her to walk the few steps across the boat.

Rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I continued to prepare the sails and the harnesses while she decided whether or not to go through with it.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked from behind me.

I stood up straight and turned around to find her standing just a couple feet away from me. Trying really hard not to let this girl get to me, I swallowed roughly and narrowed my eyes. "It's perfectly safe. We've never had an accident and we check our equipment regularly." It was the same spiel I gave everyone who questioned if there was any danger in what they're doing. Of course there is always a danger in being launched up into the air, but I wasn't lying when I said we've never had an accident and we check our equipment regularly. We couldn't afford for an accident to happen, regardless if we had insurance for the possible accident or not.

"What do I have to do?" she wondered looking around at all the equipment laid out in front of her.

"First of all, I'd suggest you take your clothes off." She stared up at me in horror after what I said. "There is a possibility you may get a little wet. Wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes is not a good combination with the water." She looked down at herself and blushed after realizing what I was saying. I watched as she took a deep breath and removed her clothes revealing a lime green bikini. She was hot for being Alice's cousin. The only thing I kept thinking was why did she have to be related to Alice? I could give this girl the greatest tourist attraction of her life if she wasn't related to the shrew.

"Wooo, you're smokin' hot, Girl," Alice's shrill voice shouted. Bella ducked her head and hid from embarrassment while Alice and even Rose shouted at her.

I handed her a lifejacket and watched as she put it on. She bit her lip nervously while she tried to cover her body up as best she could with her arms. I could tell she wasn't used to showing off her body like most girls who came around here were. "Now, just sit in the harness and I'll snap you in."

"How far up does it go?" she asked, trying to ignore the loud gestures from Alice and Rose.

"Anywhere between three-hundred and six-hundred feet," I answered. "How far up do you want to go?"

"I don't care. I was just curious." I looked down at her hands, which were visibly shaking from fear. Even her legs were shaking.

"Are you afraid of heights or do you get motion sickness easily?" I questioned thinking maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I wasn't sure if I wanted to send someone up who might be too nervous. She looked like she was going to puke already and she wasn't even strapped in yet.

"I don't think so. I rode on the plane here without getting sick," she answered through labored breaths.

"Have you ever been on a plane before you came here?" I asked with a raised eyebrow?

"No," she answered shaking her head. I was kind of shocked she'd never been anywhere before. How did she visit Alice if she'd never flown anywhere? Alice had been here forever as far as I knew.

"What's taking so long?" Rose asked from the front of the boat. "Did Bella make you forget how to do your job, Edward?"

"You don't have to flirt with her before you send her up like you do all your other costumers," Alice added to the mocking. "And you better not try to cop a feel."

"Will both of you shut the fuck up?" I shouted back at them.

Turning back towards Bella after shutting up Rose and Alice, I sighed and scratched my head. "Are you sure you want to go up?"

She quickly nodded her head and looked straight into my eyes with determination consuming her face. "I want to do this."

I shrugged my shoulders in defeat and continued to strap her in. "Alright, once the boat starts to move I'm going to let go of the cable and the wind will slowly carry you up into the air. I won't make it go up too high since you obviously seem a little nervous." She nodded her head in acceptance of my offer. "When you come back in for landing just keep your feet out in front of you and try to land on the launching pad. I'll be right here to catch you when you come in."

She nodded her head and bit her lip until it was white. I was afraid she might end up drawing blood if she wasn't careful.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," she answered while letting out a long exasperated breath. I pulled the anchor up and motioned for Jasper to get started. Slowly the boat began to move across the water before speeding up to the proper speed for launching. I let go of the cable and watched carefully as the sail brought Bella up into the sky. She squealed a little at first, but once she realized it wasn't that bad she seemed fine.

"She's pretty isn't she?" Alice asked from beside me. I didn't even know she was standing next to me until she spoke. I quickly turned my head towards her and saw her staring up into the sky at Bella.

"I guess," I answered vaguely.

Alice turned towards me with a serious expression I'd never seen from her before. "Don't you dare touch her," she warned.

"Fuck, Alice, I have no interest in your cousin." I resented Alice for even suggesting I would do anything to her.

"I just know how you operate, and I don't want your nasty dick anywhere near her."

"Like I said, I'm not interested. I don't need to fuck your cousin. I can find a dozen other girls who are more than willing."

"Good," she said smiling proudly at her accomplishment of keeping me away from her cousin. I don't know why she thought I'd be going after her cousin. I'm not that desperate.

Alice carefully walked back to her seat next to Rose while I glanced back up at Bella. The setting sun was the perfect backdrop to her flying experience. I glanced back to be sure someone was getting a picture, but Alice was busy talking to Jasper while he drove the boat, and Emmett and Rose were busy doing their typical flirtatious dance around each other. Not one of them was even paying attention to Bella in the air but me. I covertly grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and quickly snapped a shot of her. This is an experience someone shouldn't forget and needed to be commemorated. I'm surprised she didn't ask Alice or Rose to take a picture of her. Or maybe she did but they didn't listen.

After about ten minutes up in the sky, I slowly began to reel the cable back in and Jasper slowed the boat.

As she got closer I could see her getting nervous about the landing. "Just keep your feet out in front of you," I shouted out towards her. She did as I said and came straight in landing perfectly right in front of me. I wrapped my arm around her waist to stop her and keep her upright on the launching pad.

"Oh my God that was amazing," she expressed excitedly while I began to unhook her from the harness. "I thought it was going to be scary, but that was so much fun."

"I told you there was nothing to be afraid of," I reminded with a smirk on my face.

"How was it, Bella?" Alice asked as Bella walked back to the seats in the front of the boat.

"That was so much fun. I want to go up again. I've never experienced anything like that before. It's like the greatest adrenaline rush."

"I thought you would like it," Alice said. "I'm so glad you had fun and I was able to do this for you." Alice hugged Bella and had her sit down next to her. I could hear them talking about the whole experience while I folded up the sail and put the harness away. When I was done, I motioned for Jasper to go and sat down across from the girls for the ride back to the dock.

"We should all have a bonfire on the beach tonight," Rose suggested as we pulled up to the dock and started our normal routine of tying the boat off. Of course Emmett agreed almost instantly, followed by Alice and Bella. Jasper didn't need to answer since Alice made his decision for him. They all turned towards me waiting for an answer. After I tied off the boat, I shrugged my shoulders and before I knew it I had agreed to a bonfire on the beach. Most of the time, I avoided hanging out with Jasper and Emmett while they were around Alice and Rose, but for whatever reason I agreed tonight. I didn't need to be at that party until later that night so I had a couple hours to spare.

After a few minutes of discussion the girls offered to go pick up something to eat while we made a beer run and got the fire started. About an hour later we were all on the beach eating pizza and drinking beer around the fire.

"Did you have fun today, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I did. I'm glad you convinced me to try the parasailing," she answered. "And I'm glad I came for the summer. I think I needed this adventure."

"I feel bad I have to work so much while you're here. I wish I could take the whole summer off and just spend time with you all day. It's been years since we've seen each other," Alice said.

"It's alright, Alice. I understand you have to work. I can just hang out at your apartment while you work. I'll be here all summer so I'm sure we'll find time to do stuff together."

"Why don't you hang out with the guys during the day while Alice and I have to work?" Rose suggested.

"Oh, no it's okay. I don't want to get in the way," she quickly refused.

"You won't be in the way. I think it's a great idea," Alice added. "Jasper, would it be okay if Bella hung out on the boat with you guys while you go out on your appointments?"

"I don't see why it would be a problem," he answered glancing between me and Emmett. Rose linked her arm around Emmett's and gave him a pleading look. I knew instantly he'd give in to her.

"Yeah, I'm sure going out on the boat would be a lot more entertaining than sitting in Alice and Rose's apartment all day," Emmett answered. I knew it. All Rose had to do was give him a look. She had him wrapped around her little finger.

"Edward, are you okay with it?" Jasper asked. "I don't think she'll be in the way much."

"It's really not a big deal. I don't mind staying at the apartment. I'm used to being by myself," Bella interjected.

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella," Alice argued. "This is your vacation. I won't have you sitting in my apartment all day long by yourself. Going with the guys will be a great adventure. You meet new people every day and see new things on every trip. Maybe you can even go up on the sail again. It'll be great. Right, Edward?"

"Yeah, whatever?" I agreed with a roll of my eyes. I tipped the bottle of beer back against my lips taking another large swig. I glanced over in Bella's direction and noticed she had a saddened expression. I thought about the way I answered and wondered if maybe I hurt her feelings. It's not like I cared if she came along every day. I just hated how Alice and Rose always got their way no matter what. Jasper and Emmett couldn't ever say no to them.

A few moments later Jasper and Alice were busily making out and ignoring all of us, while Rose and Emmett took off along the beach, probably doing the same exact thing. Even though they weren't technically dating in a sense, they were very much committed to each other. Rose just decided when she wanted to give in to Emmett and when she wanted to play him.

Not wanting to sit there and watch Alice and Jasper any longer, I finished off the beer I was working on and stood up to take a walk. I just needed some fresh air and some peace and quiet away from everyone. I walked down to the water and watched the waves come in with the moonlight flickering off the water. It only took about a minute before I heard someone coming up behind me. Something told me it was Bella, and I was right.

"If you really don't want me to be on the boat while you're working, I don't mind staying behind. I don't want to be in your way," she offered.

I chuckled and turned my head towards her. "It's really not a big deal. You won't be in the way."

"You didn't seem too thrilled about me going, though."

"I just hate the way Jasper and Emmett do whatever Alice and Rose say. Even if it was a huge inconvenience to us they would still say yes," I explained.

"Oh."

"It's not, though," I assured. "You'll be fine." She nodded her head in acceptance before ducking her head. I began walking along the beach thinking I'd probably need to head back to the house to take a quick shower before I headed to that party I was supposed to go to.

"Can I ask you a question?" she wondered nervously while keeping in step with me.

"Sure."

"How did you get into parasailing? Did you always want to be a parasailing instructor?"

"No," I chuckled. "I didn't even know what parasailing was until I came here. Jasper and Emmett taught me everything I know."

"You know, I was really nervous about coming here since I've never really been anywhere before. When I got off the plane today, and Alice informed me I was going straight out to try the parasailing thing she'd told me about in letters, I was terrified. But when you were talking to me and trying to give me instructions I relaxed, and I wasn't as scared as I was at first. After being up in the air I decided I want this trip to be all about facing my fears and trying new things. The more dangerous, the better."

"Sounds like a good goal," I said with little interest.

"Do you know of any other activities I could do while I'm here?" she asked.

"There are lots of things you could do. You could learn to surf, zip-lining, wind surfing, snorkeling, cliff diving…"

"Cliff Diving?" she questioned with a shocked tone. "Have you ever cliff dived?"

"Yeah, lots of time," I laughed.

"Do you dive into the ocean?" she asked.

"That is essentially what cliff diving is," I answered sarcastically.

"Would you be willing to take me to try it?" she asked hesitantly.

I stopped for a moment and stared at her with a smirk on my face. There was no way this petite little thing was going to cliff dive, but I'd amuse her and probably get a kick out of her chickening out.

"Sure, I can take you to where I go after our appointments are over tomorrow," I agreed.

"Good," she said with a huge grin on her face. In a flash she leaned up and quickly placed a peck on my cheek before rushing away and going back to where the bonfire was. I stood there with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on my face. What the fuck was she, twelve? I don't think a girl had kissed me on the cheek since I was a little kid. She was the poster child for pure innocence. Even if she wasn't Alice's cousin and entirely off limits, I'd still probably not fuck her because of her innocence. I'd feel entirely too guilty afterwards if I did. Even if I did use women for sex, I still had a conscience. Not one girl I'd ever slept with didn't know what to expect afterwards. The girls I went after were in a word, sluts. They intended to hook up with someone while they were on vacation for pure sexual release and bragging rights. They used me as much as I used them. I wasn't about to turn them down. However, with Bella, she wasn't like that. I wasn't going to take advantage of her apparent attraction to me for my own gratification. I could take her up to my cliff and have a good laugh without sex being involved.

I walked back to the fire and sat down to have another beer. I glanced over at Bella a few times who I could tell from the light of the fire was red from embarrassment. She kept her eyes down only peaking up occasionally to see if I was watching her. Every time I caught her eye I would smile crookedly which caused her to blush even more.

"I need to head out," I announced once Emmett and Rose returned looking freshly fucked. Rose must have been in a good mood tonight if she gave in to Emmett.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked. I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth at how nosey she was. I had nothing to hide from her though. She didn't control my life as much as she wished she did. "I was invited to a party by some clients we had today."

"Really?" she asked condescendingly. "And who were these clients? A bunch of STD filled bimbos?

"Get off my dick, Alice. It's none of your business."

"You're repulsive," she sneered.

"At least I'm not a nosey bitch," I shot back. Alice glared at me and almost growled from anger.

"Edward, don't start," Jasper warned.

"She started it, if you didn't notice. Why don't you tell your fucking girlfriend to mind her own business for once?"

"Testy tonight aren't we?" Rose mocked.

I smirked at her as I stood up. "Hey Emmett, did you still plan to go with me tonight?" The look on Rose's face was priceless. I thought her head may explode from turning red with anger. Her jaw was clenched so tight, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at me, and then Emmett.

"What?" she sneered.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Emmett shouted.

I laughed before walking away and up to the house. I know I'm an ass to them, but sometimes they deserved it.

I quickly took a shower and changed my clothes before heading out in my beat-up, old truck. It was a piece of junk, but it ran and got me to where I needed to be. And right now, I needed a sexual release before I pissed Emmett and Jasper off any more than I already had and they fired me.

This party I was going to better deliver.

**So what does everyone think of Edward and Bella so far? I hope you don't hate them. :)**

**Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: After a very long hiatus, I'm back. Sort of. During the last 12 months I got pregnant, got severely sick putting me pretty much on bedrest the entire 9 months, suffered from preeclampsia towards the end, and gave birth to a healthy little girl. She is now 2 months old, and I'm finally getting back to normal. However, since it's summertime I have all five of my kids home and driving me crazy. I'm trying to get back into writing regularly but I can't promise there will be steady updates on any of my stories. I will do my best to update when I can. My family will always come first, but I am sincere when I say I will finish all my WIP fics and quite possibly add on to a few of my oneshots.**

**Thank you sister_liz for always taking the time to edit my stories. You are such a good friend, and I don't know what I'd do without you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters involved. No copyright infringement intended.**

Riding up the elevator to the hotel suite for the party, I began to think of Tanya. I don't know why the thought of her popped into my head. Maybe it was because the blonde girls I was about to meet with reminded me of her –preppy, beautiful, rich, debutant types. Unfortunately, the thought of Tanya only brought up the memories of Maggie. I'd been fighting for so long to forget about both of them, yet it seemed like the more I tried to fight the memories with alcohol and meaningless sex, the more the memories plagued me.

I pushed the thoughts aside and knocked on the door of the hotel room. It took at least a minute for someone to finally come and open the door. I was almost on the verge of leaving just as the door swung open. A girl with dark, short hair and sparkling blue eyes greeted me and let me in. The sight I came upon was not what I was expecting. One girl was in the corner crying her eyes out while two other girls did their best to console her, another girl was puking into the sink of the bar, two other girls were dancing on the balcony of the suite with nothing but their panties on, one girl was passed out on the couch. It was like a college nightmare. This wasn't much of a party; at least none I'd ever been to.

"I can't believe you actually came," the girl who invited me earlier asked walking out of the bathroom and looking like she'd just been puking herself. "It's Edmond, right?"

"Edward," I corrected.

"Oh right," she said with a giggle. She placed her hands on my shoulders and planted a simple kiss on my lips. There was no doubting she'd been puking recently. I almost lost it right then and there after she kissed me. "Can I call you Eddie?"

"No," I said, gently pushing her away. "Look, maybe this was a bad idea. I think I should leave." I started to walk back towards the door and this girl stopped me by pushing the door shut.

"You can't leave yet. You have to dance with me. I need a picture of myself with some other guy to make my ex-boyfriend jealous," she insisted. "It doesn't have to mean anything. You can leave in the morning with no questions asked."

Yep, this was a bad idea. "Maybe you should find someone else. I have to go." I shoved the door open and quickly walked towards the elevator. I usually didn't leave a party where girls were willing to have a quick fuck and then be forgotten, but this place was a little too weird for me.

I got in my beat up, old truck and headed home filled even more with sexual frustration. The only good thing was most likely Alice wasn't going to be at the house tonight since her cousin was visiting. At least I wouldn't have to deal with her.

I walked through the front door and saw Emmett sitting on the couch watching TV in nothing but his underwear. Jasper wasn't around so I figured he was staying the night with Alice. They couldn't even go one night not being with each other.

"You're back early," Emmett pointed out.

"Let's just say those girls were a little freaky," I said, plopping down on the couch and stretching my legs out onto the dented and scraped up coffee table. "They weren't worth my time. I should have just stayed here."

"Yeah, well your comment earlier got me in trouble with Rose," Emmett said in a spiteful tone. "I was finally getting somewhere with her, then you had to pull shit like that and now I'm back to square one."

"Why do you keep trying? Is she really worth all the trouble? Girls who play with your emotions like Rose does are not worth it."

"Just because you gave up on love doesn't mean the rest of us have to. Some of us actually think love is worth fighting for," Emmett spouted.

I glared over at him and flared my nostrils. "Thanks, Emmett," I said hurt by what he said. I stood and headed for my room, unwilling to live with any more memories.

"Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Sure you didn't," I yelled sarcastically down the hallway. I went into my room and slammed the door. Emmett thought he knew so much about me, but he really had no clue. He was gone long before anything happened with Maggie and he never knew much about Tanya. I never told him anything either. He had assumptions about what really happened before I came to Hawaii, which most likely were far from the truth. I just chose not to correct him. I would rather him assume things than relive the memories over again by telling him.

Inside my room, I took my pet boa constrictor out of his tank and let him wrap himself around my arm while I lay on my bed and stared at my ceiling. I had to get the memories of Tanya and Maggie out of my head. I couldn't deal with those memories again. After a while, I fell asleep with my snake still roaming around my room freely. Normally I wouldn't let him do that, but I fell asleep before I put him back in his tank.

Early in the morning, I heard a loud squeal, which woke me up. I took a look around my room trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Edward," Emmett yelled down the hall probably loud enough for the neighbors to hear. "Get this thing out of my room."

I hopped out of bed knowing exactly what was wrong. My snake had escaped my room and now was terrorizing Emmett. I ran down the hall and burst Emmett's door open. Inside, Emmett was standing on his bed with a bat in hand ready to swing. His eyes were focused down on my snake curled up in a ball on his floor.

"I swear to God, if you don't keep that thing locked in its cage I'm going to kill it," he warned. I rolled my eyes and quickly scooped Jake up in my hands. He was just a small little snake, but Emmett acted like he was a monster.

"You're such a baby," I groaned, walking out of his room and back to mine. I placed Jake back in his tank and went back to bed for a couple more hours.

To get back at me, Emmett thought it necessary to wake me up by squirting me with ice cold water. I chased after him through the house and even out on the beach, calling him every name in the book while he just laughed and taunted me.

"Fucker, give me the damn bottle," I shouted.

"Nope, I was told to make sure you don't make a move on Bella while she spends the day with us. I think a cold shower is necessary," he explained.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked, stopping in my chase to make sense of what he was saying.

"Alice asked Jasper and I to keep an eye on you around Bella," he explained stopping and lowering the spray bottle to his side.

I laughed at this ridiculous plan. "If Alice is so worried about me around Bella why did she think it was such a good idea for her to ride along with us all day long?" The irony of this seemed to stump him for a moment.

"I guess she thinks if Jasper and I are around we can keep you in line," he theorized. "You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

"So now I'm an enemy?" I laughed and shook my head at his remark of me being an enemy now. "And why the fuck does Alice think she needs to run everyone's lives? Isn't Bella an adult? Can't she make her own decisions?" I wondered.

"Alice said she's kind of fragile right now. She wouldn't elaborate why, but she just doesn't think it would be a very good idea for you to try your typical tricks with her."

"I already told Alice I wouldn't," I explained. "And I don't have typical tricks. I'm not going to do anything."

"Yeah, well, I'm just doing as I'm told," he excused.

"Whatever," I grumbled turning to walk back to the house. Emmett walked in step with me, and as soon as I knew I had my moment, I lunged towards him, grabbing the squirt bottle out of his hand and squirting him just like he did to me. He whined and begged me to stop, but I didn't until the water was completely gone.

"You're such an ass," he whined.

"Looks who's talking? Who squirted first?"

"Whose snake curled up in my bedroom?" he countered.

"Jake won't hurt you," I argued.

"Yeah right," he exclaimed dramatically. "That thing has it out for me and you know it. I'm waiting for the day I wake up with it wrapped around my neck squeezing the life out of me."

I rolled my eyes and threw the empty bottle onto the porch. "He's just a baby. And, even if he could squeeze the life out of you, I don't think you would wake up," I teased.

After a few more taunts from both of us towards each other, we both got ready for the day and met Jasper down on the dock. He had Bella already sitting on the boat laughing at his jokes.

"Where've you two been?" he asked as we hopped onto the boat.

"I was giving Edward a cold shower," Emmett joked.

"And I was scaring Emmett with my snake," I said with a smirk on my face.

Both Jasper and Bella gave us a strange look. "I don't think I want to know," Jasper said focusing on checking over the boat before our customers showed up. Emmett and I laughed it off and went about our routine of doing our checks and getting prepared for the day.

"So, we have a fairly easy schedule today. There's a family of four coming out and a couple on their honeymoon. We should be done within a couple hours," Emmett informed us.

"Sounds good," I said. "We're all set."

I sat down on the edge of the boat and waited for our customers to show up. I watched as Emmett and Jasper chatted up Bella on the other side of the boat while she smiled and giggled at what they said. I felt like the odd one out.

I picked at the dry skin against my fingernails and pretended like I didn't care what they were doing or saying. I was in my own little world.

After about ten minutes I saw the family of four walking down to the dock and what I thought might be the newlywed couple just getting out of a car at the road. At least these customers were punctual. There had been many times we've had to wait around for people to show up. I hopped off the edge of the boat and walked over to greet the customers and help them into the boat. Jasper and Emmett weren't paying attention at all and didn't even notice the people walking over to us. I smacked Jasper on the back of the head, making him swing his arm wildly at me, just barely missing smacking me in the face.

"What the fuck was that for?" he shouted.

"We have customers. Or did both of you forget we have a job to do?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jasper looked around my shoulder and noticed the family standing at the edge of the dock watching us with nervous expressions. Jasper and Emmett instantly put on their fake smiles and followed me out of the boat to greet the people and explain what we would be doing.

Emmett introduced each one of us and told all of them what our position on the boat was, then had them fill out the paperwork and helped them into life jackets and onto the boat. The two little kids from the family didn't look much older than thirteen or fourteen. The boy looked a little overconfident with his cocky smile and permanent raised eyebrow. The girl looked a little shy and withdrawn. She barely talked at all and kept her eyes focused on the floor. The parents looked and acted like rich people –better than everyone else, have money to spare and don't care whether they look like complete idiots wearing diamond earrings and a Rolex watch while parasailing. We always say in the confirmation email not to bring anything along worth any value because it is possible it will get lost. Obviously these people didn't care.

We headed out on the water doing our normal tour spots along the coastline. The newlywed couple didn't seem to care about the sightseeing portion of this excursion. Newlyweds always made me nauseous. They could never keep their hands off of each other and spent most of the time making out instead of paying attention. I can't believe I actually considered going through with that monstrosity of getting married. Though, if things had been different, to this day, I still would have gone through with it. But, things changed, things happened, and there's no going back. I'm done with that portion of my life and I don't ever plan to face it again.

After finding the right wind, we stopped and it was my turn to give instruction on the launch up. The young boy went up first. I had a feeling he would. He looked like a spoiled brat who always had to be first. Typical rich kid behavior. After he went, the parents went up together. I noticed the boy making loud comments and turned around to see what was going on. I couldn't help but laugh seeing this little kid trying to hit on Bella. She looked mortified at what was going on. I didn't blame her. Did he actually think just because he's a stupid rich kid she'd give a shit about him?

I glanced towards Emmett who had an amused look on his face. I tilted my head motioning for him to help her. Emmett hopped up and sat down next to Bella wrapping his arm around her shoulders to give the kid the hint. Bella leaned into Emmett and placed a simple kiss on his cheek. I don't know why but watching her kiss his cheek made my stomach tighten. Maybe it was just her thing to kiss guys on the cheek but for some reason seeing her kiss someone else made upset. I turned away and kept my eye on the people up in the sky, internally chastising myself for even caring what that fucking kiss on the cheek was about. I didn't care. I didn't want to care. I forced myself not to look back at them anymore.

After I brought the parents in from their fly, it was the shy girl's turn. She looked terrified and I was almost tempted to have her wait, but her parents insisted she face her fears and go up. While I was preparing the parachute and checking the straps for the girl to go up, I noticed Bella had come to the back of the boat and sat down on the edge of the seat.

"Did you need to get away from your little admirer?" I asked smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm so glad Emmett came over and helped me out. That boy was getting on my nerves," she said. I chuckled under my breath and continued my work. I motioned for the girl to come over and get strapped in to the harness. She slowly walked over and let me strap her in. I talked to her about what it would be just to calm her nerves a little. In the corner of my eye I could see Bella watching me intently and biting her lip like she was worried about something or like she wanted to say something. At first I tried to ignore her, but it was getting to me. If she wanted to say something, I wanted her to just fucking spit it out. I wasn't about to try and read her mind. I glanced deliberately in her direction as I continued to tighten the straps around the girl.

"What?" I asked with a little chuckle to my words.

"I uh… I'm just curious how you know how to do all this. You just seem so sure of yourself and you know exactly what to do. You aren't even looking at what you're doing yet you're still able to do it," she pointed out.

I furrowed my brow and raised a corner of my lip at her observation. Ignoring the comment for a moment, I focused my attention back on the girl and looked her directly in the eyes. "Are you ready?" I asked. She nervously nodded her head and held onto the straps holding her in. I motioned to Jasper, who started up the boat. The girl's parents shouted out a few words of encouragement right as I let her go and she soared up into the sky.

When the girl was on her way, I turned back to Bella to answer her question. "It's not hard once you know what you're doing. Certain things go in certain spots, and if they don't, things won't work correctly. It's like sex. Once you figure out where everything goes, you don't tend to forget and can do it without thinking or seeing. Although, you might not know that's possible yet." Her face turned bright red at what I said and she even choked a little. I smirked and turned back to the girl in the air.

"I know what you're thinking," she abruptly said. I turned back towards her with a puzzled look on my face. "You think I'm some innocent girl who doesn't know anything about sex, but you're wrong."

I smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? Enlighten me then. How much do you know? Because I'm still holding on to the fact that you're innocent and probably still very much a virgin."

"And what gives you that impression?"

"The innocent little kiss you gave me on the cheek last night was my first clue. You just have that aura of sweet innocence about you."

"Sorry about that. I was kind of buzzed from the alcohol, and of course, still getting used to the time change," she apologized.

"And there's my second clue. I'd hate to see what you might do if you were more than just buzzed. You might actually kiss someone on the lips," I teased with a gasp to my words and wide eyes.

Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened to a straight line. "I enjoy sex more when I'm sober. God forbid I wake up after having the greatest sex ever and I can't remember it. I have a feeling that's how most of your mornings are," she contradicted.

I laughed and shook my head at her ridiculousness. "Right," I agreed sarcastically.

"Well how many sexual experiences do you actually remember? Or are there too many to even count anymore?" she asked confidently.

"Do you believe everything Alice tells you?" I questioned, realizing she got her assumptions of me from Alice and was testing me.

"Should I have reason to not believe her?" she argued.

Feeling angry at what she was assuming, I wanted to go off on her and tell her it was none of her business what I did or who I did it with. "Alice doesn't know a fucking thing about my life and she never will. She's a nosy bitch who doesn't know how to mind her own business."

"I'll take that as a no," she said smiling proudly at herself.

Just as I was about to start shouting at her for sticking her nose in places where it didn't belong just like Alice always did, Emmett came over and placed his hand on my shoulder. "When you two are done comparing sexual experiences you might want to start bringing in the girl who's flying up in the air at the moment," he reminded.

"Shit!" I mumbled, quickly starting to reel the lines in. I focused on getting the girl back on the boat safely and tried to forget about the conversation Bella and I were having. I needed to do my job and not get distracted. When the girl was back on the boat I could tell she was feeling a little queasy. I quickly called for Emmett to get a motion sickness bag and some water for her. I sat her down on the seat and waited for Emmett. Her parents hovered around her and started questioning what I did to her. They didn't seem to accept the fact that she just had a touch of motion sickness. They were sure I'd done something wrong. Seconds before Emmett came with a bag and a water bottle the girl leaned forward and puked all over the boat and my feet. Everyone took a step back and covered their mouths. The poor girl started crying and apologizing for puking on me. I tried to assure her it was fine. It wasn't the first time I'd been puked on, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last either. After cleaning up the puke off the boat, I remained focused on what I was supposed to be doing and put the whole conversation Bella and I were having behind me. It wasn't a big deal anyway. She was just a stupid girl who would be leaving in a few weeks. I didn't care what she thought about me. I never had for anyone else, and she was no different.

After everyone had gone up in the air for the day and we were heading back towards land, I sat down on the seat and leaned my head back against the side of the boat, closing my eyes and enjoying the breeze. I just wanted this day to be over with. I wanted to go home and take a very long shower to wash the stench of puke off of me.

After a few minutes, I felt the warmth of someone sitting next to me. I sat up and opened my eyes to find Bella had scooted across the seat.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she apologized looking sincerely guilty for what happened. "I shouldn't have been distracting you while you were supposed to be working. I feel really bad for both you and that girl."

"Don't worry about it," I assured resting my head back again.

"It's just… Alice told me some stuff about you, and I wanted to find out for myself how much of it was true. I'm trying to figure you out, and you're a hard person to read."

"I don't let many people know me. It causes problems when people know too much."

"I'd just kind of like to know a little about you before I go on this cliff diving excursion," she reminded covertly. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her. I had actually forgotten about the cliff diving thing until just now. "You are still going to take me, right?"

"Well, it depends."

"On what?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Not completely," she admitted truthfully while biting her bottom lip.

"Good, you shouldn't."

"That doesn't mean I don't want to try the cliff diving thing," she assured.

"Did Alice tell you to stay away from me?"

She bit her lip again and nodded her head to answer my question.

I chuckled and rested my head back again. "She told me the same thing about you," I revealed.

"Are you going to listen to her?" she wondered.

I smirked and turned my head towards her. "I never have. Are you?" I asked.

"No," she answered trying hard not to crack a smile.

"Then I guess we're going cliff diving." Her face lit up with a bright smile after I agreed to take her cliff diving. I just wondered if her babysitters would let her go.

Once we docked and helped the customers out of the boat, I hopped out and motioned for Bella to follow me. "Have fun," I called out before walking away.

"Where are you going?" Jasper asked. Damn! I thought to myself, stopping in my tracks and turning around. "I think since I was the one puked on I shouldn't be responsible for cleaning the boat," I theorized.

"Bullshit!" Emmett shouted. "I've been puked on before and I still had to clean the boat."

"Give me a break, guys. Can I at least shower?" I asked. Bella stood to the side, silently watching our exchange.

"Whatever, Asshole," Emmett whined. "If you're going to be a baby about it, then just go."

I rolled my eyes and grumbled hopping back on the boat to help them clean. It really didn't take a long time for us to clean the boat, but it was just a pain to do. When we were about finished, I finally said I had done my share and was going to go take a shower. Neither of them said anything this time. Bella started to follow me along the deck until Jasper yelled out at her.

"Bella, where are you going?"

"Edward is taking me cliff diving," she answered. I stopped a few feet away from her to wait. I wondered if she would listen to them telling her not to go.

"I don't know if that would be such a good idea," Jasper said nervously. "Alice asked us to keep an eye on you. She won't be happy if she knows you took off."

"Yeah Bella, I think you should probably stay with us," Emmett added agreeing with what Jasper said.

Bella shrugged her shoulders and sort of threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not that concerned whether Alice is happy or not. She can't exactly tell me not to go and neither can either of you. I'll see you guys later."

She ran the few feet to catch up with me and all I could do was stare at her with a gaping mouth. She had just gone against what Alice wanted without even a thought of concern. Very rarely did someone go against what Alice wanted.

"Are we going?" Bella asked looking up at me with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, I just need to change first."

"Okay."

We walked up the boardwalk and the short distance to my house.

"Um… Just stay here and I'll be right back," I suggested motioning for her to sit on the porch and wait for me. She nodded her head and sat down on the step while I ran inside to change. I could have offered to let her come inside, but I'd never invited someone into my home, and I wasn't about to now even if she was Alice's cousin.

I quickly changed into a pair of swimming trunks and a plain white t-shirt and grabbed a few things I needed for the jump. I still doubted whether or not she'd actually go through with it, but I still wanted to be prepared just in case. Maybe she'd surprise me and actually jump.

I grabbed my wallet and keys and met her back outside. "Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," she agreed jumping to her feet and following me out to my truck. She got in next to me, shutting her door and putting on her seatbelt. I glanced over at her and for the first time that day noticed she had a pair of jeans and a long sleeve thin shirt on.

"You do have a bathing suit on under your clothes, right?" I asked before starting the truck.

"Of course. Why?"

"I'm just making sure. It might be kind of uncomfortable to jump wearing what you are." She looked down at herself, soothing her hands across her legs.

"I'm not very comfortable wearing revealing clothing all the time like some women are," she admitted. "I feel very out of place when wearing bathing suits in public."

I started up the truck and started to pull out of the driveway. "You do realize it is summertime and you're in Hawaii, right?" I asked sarcastically, even chuckling a little. "I think you're more out of place dressed the way you are now."

She ducked her head and almost looked embarrassed. "You might be right." I glanced back and forth between her and the road trying to figure out what exactly it was I said that made her look like she was about to cry.

I decided to keep my mouth shut after that. I didn't want to make her even more upset. The last thing I needed was a crying girl on my hands. I don't deal with crying girls.

I pulled onto the small, out of the way road which led into the trees and parked at the end. Bella sat there looking around and trying to make sense of what we were doing.

"Let's go," I ordered. I opened my door and grabbed the plastic bag from behind my seat. Bella followed suit and got out right behind me.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"It's where your adventure begins," I replied. "See the top on that hill?" I pointed towards the cliff among the trees. "That's where we're going. I hope you don't mind hiking a ways."

"No, I'm fine with whatever." She walked over to me and we began to walk instep through the trees until we reached the narrow trail I'd carved out to get up to the cliff. While we hiked I decided to ask her a few questions, just to start up a conversation and gage how serious she was about jumping. I still had my doubts she'd do it.

"You're in college, right?"

"Uh huh," she answered breathlessly.

"How long have you been in school?"

"I just finished my third year, but it was sort of cut short because of some personal matters," she answered.

"What are you going to school for?"

"I don't know yet."

"You don't know?" I asked, letting out a small chuckle. "Then why go?"

"School is really important to me. No one in my family has ever graduated from college. I want to finish and say I did something worthwhile. I just don't know what it is yet. The last few years have been busy, and I haven't had a lot of time to actually think about what I want to do," she explained.

"Don't you need to decide soon?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that's part of what this trip was supposed to be about. I'm supposed to clear my head and let go of the past so I can figure out what I want to do."

Her reveal made me curious. I remembered Emmett mentioning how Alice had said Bella was fragile at the moment, and now with what Bella said, I really wondered what had happened. Although, I doubted she'd tell me anything personal if I asked, so I didn't.

"What is it you're interested in?"

She giggled before answering. "I don't know."

I hummed in response, not really knowing any other way to respond. I couldn't imagine going to school just to go to school.

"Did you ever go to college?" she asked.

"Yeah, for a while," I answered. "That's actually where I met Emmett. We were frat brothers and became good friends."

"What school did you go to?"

I laughed and turned my head away. "You might actually be surprised to know I went to Harvard."

"You went to Harvard?" she asked in a shocked tone.

"Yep."

"Did you graduate?"

"No," I answered.

"How come?"

"I just didn't," I replied in an irritable tone. "School wasn't that important to me. I only went because I was forced. I didn't have any great ambitions of being something important so I left. That's when I came here."

"What made you decide to come to Hawaii of all places?"

"It was the farthest place away from where I came from," I explained. She stared at me with a curious look just like I had with her. I could have explained more of what made me leave but I didn't. I didn't talk about it with anyone, and I wasn't about to tell someone who could very well tell the one person I couldn't stand, who would probably use it against me to make me look like even more of a jerk than I already knew I was. I didn't need that.

"It kind of sounds like you were running away from something," she theorized.

"Maybe I was," I answered vaguely. "Either way, I'm better off now."

She nodded her head and bit her lip. I was sure she was fighting the urge to ask more, but I think she got the hint I wasn't going to indulge in more of an explanation.

"You have done this before, right? The cliff diving, I mean. Is it safe?" she wondered.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. If you even jump at all," I teased.

"Do you think I'm not going to?" she asked sounding almost hurt by the assumption.

"I have my doubts," I admitted. "You just don't seem like the adventurous type, and it's a pretty high jump."

"I told you, I want this vacation to be all about facing my fears and living life to the fullest. I'm determined to try everything," she assured.

"Alright," I accepted still having my doubts. We continued our trek and made it to the clearing on top of the hill in the late afternoon. The wind was just beginning to pick up a little and the tide was coming in, making it a perfect time to jump. The setting sun was glistening on the water below us sending sparks of light all around us. This was my favorite time of the day. There was always this strange calm that came over everything at this time every day.

"Wow!" she expressed with a gasp as she walked to the edge and looked out at the horizon. "It's beautiful up here. How did you find this place?"

I walked over the edge and looked out at the water with her. "I used to go on a lot of hikes, and I just happened to come across it one day. This has kind of become my hiding spot in a way. If I ever want to be alone, which is quite often, this is where I come."

"No one else ever comes up here?" she wondered, turning towards me.

"Not that I've ever seen. I brought Jasper and Emmett up here once, but they didn't seem that impressed. They didn't jump either," I revealed with a chuckle.

"What is that over there?" she asked, pointing out towards the water far in the distance. I followed her gaze to the little specks in the water.

"It looks like surfers," I answered.

"Surfers?" she asked with an intrigued voice. "That's an adventure I'd like to try."

"You want to try surfing now?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Why not? It looks like fun," she admitted. "Do you surf?"

"I know how. It's not something I do all the time, though."

"Would you be willing to teach me how?" she asked nervously.

"Seriously?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't have to," she quickly excused. "I don't want to get on your nerves or make you think I'm taking advantage of free lessons. I'm sure I can find someone in the city I can pay to give me lessons."

"I don't mind," I offered almost incoherently. I didn't quite understand why I kept giving in to her requests. It was almost like she had some sort or weird power over me. I would probably do anything she asked of me.

"Really?" she questioned excitedly.

"Yeah, it's not a problem, but it'll have to work around my schedule. Usually first thing in the morning is the best time to surf," I explained.

"We can meet in the morning if you're free," she suggested.

"Sure," I agreed. I'm not sure why I agreed to give her surfing lessons when I wasn't that great at it, but I hated the idea of her overpaying some high school kid who probably had the IQ of a rat. I could at least give her the basics. "But first, you need to jump." I smirked and waited for her to make her decision. She leaned forward and looked down at the water below us. She took a deep breath and made a small whimpering sound.

"Are you sure it's safe?" she asked again.

"Yeah," I answered again.

"What if I hit the rocks?" she worried.

"That's simple. Don't jump near the rocks," I answered sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and narrowed her eyes at me. I couldn't help but laugh.

She leaned forward again and looked down contemplating her decision. "I could always do this," I said in a quick voice while grabbing her around the waist and playfully shoving her towards the edge. Her feet dragged across the ground and she screamed, grabbing onto my arms and digging her fingernails into my forearms with her death grip. I stopped inches from the edge and pulled her back against me, laughing at her reaction.

"You jerk!" she exclaimed hitting me rather hard on the arm. "I can't believe you just did that. I was scared to death."

I laughed even more at the fearful expression across her face. "I can't believe you actually called me a jerk. I haven't been called a jerk since high school."

"Oh really, then what do people call you when you do stupid stuff like try to shove someone off a cliff?"

"First of all, I wasn't going to shove you off the cliff. I was only playing around. And second, most of the time I'm either called a fucker, jackass, a dick, a son of a bitch, and any other degrading vulgar thing Jasper and Emmett can come up with."

"Well, I just see you as a jerk who really doesn't know what an appropriate joke is. I didn't find what you did funny at all," she reprimanded with her hands on her hips. I laughed again at her innocent yet angry expression, before offering her my hand. "Come on." Her eyes looked down at my opened hand in front of her before they rose to mine. In a moment of insecurity and fear, she slowly slipped her hand into mine. I'm positive she thought I was going to make her jump with me, but instead I started walking down the hill.

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused about where I was taking her.

"I'm going to take you to a lower level and see if that might be easier for you to jump from," I explained. She didn't argue or seem to mind going lower so I continued to lead her down. The next place I took her was only about twenty feet from the water and an easy dive. If she couldn't do this jump, there's no way she could do the other.

Once again, she looked down at the water from the edge of the cliff and nervously chewed on her bottom lip. "What do you think?" I asked.

"I think I can do this," she nervously agreed.

"Alright." I began to take my shoes and shirt off, getting ready for the dive. I noticed her eyes lingering on my stomach and chest until she realized I had caught her. She quickly ducked her head and blushed. I stuffed my shoes and shirt, as well as my keys and wallet, in the large Ziploc bag and held it out towards Bella.

"What's this for?" she questioned, hesitantly taking the bag from me.

"Unless you plan to jump with all your clothes on, or climb all the way back up here after you jump, we jump with the bag and our stuff shoved inside," I explained. She slowly started to remove her shoes then her shorts and finally her shirt. Underneath she had on a black two-piece bathing suit with a hibiscus flower print. Like she did when she went parasailing, she covered her body up with her arms and hands as best she could. She was definitely very modest and insecure about her body, which surprised me since she was actually pretty hot. I couldn't help sneaking a few peeks while she undressed.

"Where did you come up with the idea of using these oversized Ziploc bags for this? And where do you even get these?" she asked holding the bag out in front of her and looking at it more closely.

I laughed and took the bag from her to close it and get ready for the jump. "I actually get them from Alice. She works at the hospital and these bags are what they give patients to put their belongings in. One day she had her clothes in one when she came over to the house to stay with Jasper and I thought they might work for this. I asked her if she could get me some and she did. It's probably the only nice thing she's ever done for me."

"Why does Alice seem to dislike you so much?" she asked.

I shrugged and took a deep breath. "She just doesn't agree with my lifestyle I guess. She's like a mother hen in a way. She has to manage and control everyone's lives the way she wants them to go. I honestly don't know why Jasper, and even Rose and Emmett, allow her to do it."

"I take it you don't allow her to tell you what to do," she pointed out.

"I try to resist it as much as possible. I get that she's a nurse, and caring for people all day is sort of what she does all the time, but I don't need a mother. I can make my own decisions without her help."

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. "You sound very bitter towards her," she accused

"She just irritates me. I don't like being told what to do. I've been told what to do my entire life and coming here was my way to get away from it, yet I still get it from _her_. Like her telling me to stay away from you for instance. Why is it any of her concern? Does it hurt her in any way if we spend time together? And then telling Emmett and Jasper to basically babysit you so I won't get anywhere near you."

"Is that why you agreed to take me here? So you could rebel against Alice?" she wondered.

"I don't know. Maybe a little," I admitted.

She nodded her head and looked over the edge again. "Well, are we going to do this or not?" she asked changing the subject.

"Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Yes."

I picked up the bag of our clothes and reached out my hand for hers. She quickly grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. "When you hit the water it's going to be rough," I explained. "You'll probably have a sudden sting from the dive but just remember to kick to the top."

"Okay," she said nervously.

"Alright, let's go." I stepped to the edge of the water and began counting down from three. I still questioned if she'd actually go through with it, but when we reached one she readied herself for the jump and kicked off the edge of the cliff, screaming all the way down. As we hit the water, I released her hand and waited for the instant sting of the water to slightly diminish before swimming to the surface. I expected to see Bella pop up shortly after me, but after I came up and took a breath, I looked all around and she was nowhere to be found. The panic suddenly hit me that she hadn't come up from the water yet. I quickly dived back in and searched through the murky water for any sign of her. She was gone, though. I searched all around and there was no sign of her anywhere. I yelled out her name, hoping maybe I'd get an answer, but I didn't. She was just gone.

The fear of knowing this was happening again was overwhelming. I could barely breathe. All I could do was pray that I found her and she was okay. I continued to search, and finally, in the far distance I found her lifeless body floating in the water. I swam over to her and flipped her over, searching for any injuries. All I knew was she didn't appear to be breathing. Instinct kicked in and I dragged her to the shoreline. I tilted her head back and prepared to give her CPR.

"Bella, please don't die on me," I begged right before I leaned in to start the CPR. In a sudden jolt, there was water spit in my face. I sat back, shocked by what happened and saw Bella laughing and beginning to sit up.

"I can't believe you actually fell for that," she teased. "I'm not so weak I can't jump a few feet into the water without drowning."

While she continued to make comments about how it was just a joke and I was so funny for actually falling for it, I sat there with a gaping mouth, barely breathing, gasping for air, and a thousand thoughts running through my mind. On impulse alone, I grabbed her face and kissed her hard against the lips interrupting her constant teasing. I didn't care what happened, what the consequences were for what I was doing, or whether Alice found out or not. All I cared about was I needed a fucking release after going through what I just went through.

She whimpered as I forcefully held her and continued to kiss her. She didn't pull away or try to stop me while my tongue slid between her lips and devoured her sweet mouth.

My hands slipped behind her back and untied her bathing suit. I pulled it off of her arms and dropped it beside us. I grabbed both of her full breasts with my hands, squeezing and massaging them before letting my hands drift down her sides and grab her waist, lifting her up to straddle my lap. I needed sex and I needed it bad. While her arms wrapped around my shoulders and her fingers looped through the hair at the base of my neck, I trailed my lips and tongue down her neck and across her chest. I grabbed the hem of her bathing suit bottom and pulled until it ripped apart. I pushed it halfway down one leg, all the while still kissing her body in every spot I could reach. Quickly removing my cock from my soaking wet shorts, I lifted her up and gently guided her down on top of me, filling and stretching her in ways I'm positive she'd never been filled before. She gasped loudly and dug her fingers into my shoulder as I pressed even farther into her. For a split second I looked at her face and saw her eyes clench tight and her cheeks turn a deep shade of red. I almost thought about pulling out and stopping, but being inside of her was exactly what I needed and I wasn't about to stop unless she told me to. I waited for only a moment to allow her to catch her breath before gliding her up and down on top of me. Her whimpers and erratic breaths at every thrust only turned me on. She bit into my shoulder while I allowed her to take control and move back and forth on my cock. My hands trailed across her silky, smooth body and my mouth suckled on her breast, which were perched directly in front of me.

"Fuck!" I slurred through gritted teeth. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but it felt so good, and I couldn't stop. I wanted her, I needed her, and I wanted her to need this as much as I did. I continued to allow her the control of moving up and down on my cock, giving her the opportunity to come first. Given the situation, and who she was, I couldn't just fuck her and leave. I had to let her enjoy this too. When I knew she was close, by the way her moans got louder and her legs began to tighten around me, I pushed her forward letting her fall back against the sand and covering her body with my own. Once again I invaded her pussy with my hard and aching cock, causing her to flinch and yelp. I pressed into her as far as I could, allowing myself a moment of pure pleasure of being buried inside of her so completely. It was the most exhilarating feeling I'd experienced in a long time. I only pushed in and out of her a few time before I came so rapidly and completely. I let out a loud groan allowing the orgasm to take over every sense of my body. I wasn't even sure if she reached her own orgasm, but in that moment I didn't care. I had gotten what I was craving, and that's all I cared about.

After I came down from ecstasy, I pulled out of her and looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed and her breath was heavy. She had the slightest smile across her lips when she turned her head and opened her eyes to look up at me. In a sudden rush of regret, I leaned up on my knees, grabbing my hair in frustration while I stared down at her naked body on the beach. I had just done exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't let happen. I had taken advantage of Bella's innocence for my own needs. If this was anyone else I wouldn't have cared, but with her I didn't want this to happen.

"Fuck!" I shouted, standing to my feet and walking a few feet away. "God-dammit! What the fuck just happened?" I continued to shout and get angry with her instead of facing what I did. It's what I was good at. I ran away from every problem I'd ever had instead of facing it.

Five minutes must have passed before I turned around to face Bella. She had found the bag of our clothes washed up on the beach and was silently putting them back on. She hid her face from me and looked down with a shameful expression. She pulled her legs to her chest and hugged her knees with her arms. I could see her hands shaking from what I could only imagine was fear. Was she afraid of me or just my outburst afterwards?

"I should get you home," I insisted, roughly grabbing the bag of clothes off the ground and walking back towards the trees to get to the truck. I didn't even wait to see if she followed behind me or not. I just continued to walk forward until I reached my truck. I threw the bag in the back and hopped in, starting it up and waiting. I ran my hands through my hair roughly and hit the steering wheel with my fists a couple times while I waited. I was so angry with myself for what I allowed to happen.

Moments later, she quietly opened the door and slid into the seat next to me. She fastened her seatbelt and crossed her arms across her lap. I pulled out onto the road and started the drive towards Alice and Rose's house. She never once said a word or even looked in my direction. I went over every single event that happened in my head trying to figure out how I let myself go that far with her and whether or not I fucked up more than I ever had before. I tried to remember any moment she may have asked me to stop or any moment she seemed uncomfortable. I should have stopped at the first moment of distress across her face, but I hadn't. I needed to find some way to make this better. I didn't want this awkward tension between us around Jasper and Emmett. They would know instantly. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to say to her. I frustratingly sighed and rubbed my jaw while I drove.

I didn't say anything until I pulled in front of Alice and Rose's house. She quickly gathered up the few things she had and opened the door to get out. Before she shut the door, I leaned over and grabbed the door from her.

"We're good, right?" I asked unsure of what else to say.

She hesitated for a moment and gave me a confused expression as if she didn't understand what I was asking. "Yeah, we're fine," she answered with a slight forced smile.

"So I'll see you tomorrow on the beach by my house for the surfing lesson?" I questioned.

She nodded her head taking in a large breath. "I'll be there."

"Okay," I said letting go of the door and allowing her to shut it. I watched as she slowly made her way up to the door and walked inside. I hit my fist against the steering wheel a couple more times and groaned angrily at myself before pulling out and heading home. I messed up…again.

**This was just a tiny glimpse into Edward's past, but don't ask who Tanya and Maggie are because their relevance won't be revealed until later in the story. Don't hate Edward for what he did, either. He's still very guarded and needs to be broken down. Bella was not upset by what he did. Next chapter will be one of very few Bella POVs.**

****One last thing, the awards I co-host are up and running for its second year. The Emerging Swan Awards are accepting nominations for One-Shots, Short Stories, WIP, and Completed Stories until this Sunday, August 5th. Don't waste time getting your favorite stories nominated for an award. I know all the wonderful authors who write stories to keep us all entertained would love your nomination. A link to the Emerging Swan Awards blog is on my profile.****

**Thanks for reading :)**


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